Arab News

DUBAI: Abu Dhabi’s health authority SEHA initiated Phase III clinical trials for an inactivated coronavirus vaccine, state news agency WAM reported.

The trials are being conducted by Sinopharm’s China National Biotec Group in alliance with the Abu Dhabi government and artificial intelligence company G42 Healthcare. The candidate vaccine is believed to be the world’s first inactivated vaccine to enter a Phase III trial.

“The diversity of nationalities that call the UAE home, as well as the leading role our leadership plays in tackling the virus in various countries of the world, made the country the perfect place for phase III of the clinical trials,” Jamal Mohammed Al-Kaabi, acting Undersecretary of Abu Dhabi’s Department of Health, said in a statement.

More than 10,000 people have registered to volunteer for the trials. Health authorities intend to list up to 15,000 people aged 18 to 60 years for the study.